


ENTER ROTOL: MAGE OF DARKNESS

by RinoaHeart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Fun, Garrison trio, Mildly Lotura, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Plot Twist, Tales of Altea Fanzine, This is just a bunch of nerds playing D&D, lotor is a good boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 02:22:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17674598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinoaHeart/pseuds/RinoaHeart
Summary: Lotor is finally playing this game that the Paladins always talk about... But he really got unlucky with the dice!---"Toranya looked at the foreigner with heart eyes. "OHHHHH, A MAAAAGE!" she exclaimed excitedly, shaking the new guest, and thus producing a merry sound of jingling bells. The unlucky traveler allowed the giantess to shake him like he was a twig, chuckling awkwardly before recomposing himself with a regal attitude and advancing toward Toranya."Well, I am..." But he didn't have the time to reveal his own name before ruinously stumbling on his own robe, tumbling down on the nearest table, right in Valayun’s arms."...Rotol," Concluded as if nothing had happened, the mischievous smile still there."---This story is my entry for the Tales of Altea Fanzine, it was a long journey but it was so worthy. <3





	ENTER ROTOL: MAGE OF DARKNESS

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EneriMess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EneriMess/gifts).



> I'm so happy because I can finally share this story and I also have an amazing piece of art by Joudoodles, one of my favorite artist ever, who drawn Valayun and my Rotol, HERE:
> 
> https://twitter.com/joudoodles/status/1092923378149875712?s=19
> 
> The title of this fanfiction is a mockery about the one that featured Merla for the first time in DOTU.
> 
> Least but not the last, my love goes to my wifey EneriMess who was the deus ex machina behind this amazing project which is Tales Of Altea: https://talesofaltea.tumblr.com/

The Tavern of Arghalan was famous in all the kingdoms. Managed by the Giants of the Bringher’s family for generations, it was the meeting point for all the brigades and guilds, especially on dark and tempestuous nights as that one.

Valayun sat sprawling with the long legs stretched out on the table, her arms crossed behind the head and a bored expression.

"Pyro is not here yet?" The snort got the attention of the guy next to her.

"You know that punctuality is not his strong suit." Pike the thief straightened his ears while he was winking to the young archer.

"Yeah but we don’t have time to wait, we need to find a new quest as soon as possible. We’re lacking funds and glory.” Meklar murmured nervously. Sitting directly on the table, she was doing the math, her petite figure surrounded by the countless sheets shed all around her.

"But we have just defeated a big bad monster! We should be rich!" Hank rubbed his monk tonsure in confusion.

"Indeed, but we had some debts to the Guild to settle up, do you remember Block?"

"Hey, we don't belong to the Guild,” Pike specified pointing out Valayun and himself.

"Well, you do now,” Meklavar argued concisely.

They were about to scuffle when a noise of slammed doors drew the attention of the whole place.

An imposing hooded figure, wrapped in a violet tunic and holding a long magic staff, stepped into the now silent tavern dripping water out from all his pores.

"Dude! What are you doing!?" The giantess Toranya, sister of the now passed Soranya, approached the new customer in rage, already with a rag in hand.

"I beg your pardon Madam, may I ask your hospitality?" A deep silky voice mellowed the anger of the giantess, while the mysterious customer took off his hood.

An "ooooh" of general wonder aired into the room at the sight of a fall of shiny waist-long white hair, decorated by tiny braids on the sides. Little bells of different colors adorned the mane, shaking happily at every movement. The new customer passed a hand on the trimmed side of his head, shaking his pale face and the pointed ears that showed off different rings. "I'm sorry for all the inconvenience I may have done you, allow me to remedy... " he hit the staff on the floor murmuring two words, and the whole slush disappeared into thin air.

Toranya looked at the foreigner with heart eyes. "OHHHHH, A MAAAAGE!" she exclaimed excitedly, shaking the new guest, and thus producing a merry sound of jingling bells. The unlucky traveler allowed the giantess to shake him like he was a twig, chuckling awkwardly before recomposing himself with a regal attitude and advancing toward Toranya.

"Well, I am..." But he didn't have the time to reveal his own name before ruinously stumbling on his own robe, tumbling down on the nearest table, right in Valayun’s arms.

"...Rotol," Concluded as if nothing had happened, the mischievous smile still there.

 

Valayun blinked, totally hypnotized by the fascinating customer, who had just fallen in her lap.

"Hey hey Rotolwhataveryournameis, why don’t ya move?" An angry Pike took the newcomer with rudeness, grabbing him under the arms and placing him on the nearest chair with obvious effort.

"Sooooo what can I bring to our dear mage? " the innkeeper giantess chirped flirtatiously.

"A-a cider thanks."

"A magician, then, mh. Just in time for you guys!" The drink appeared in less than a second, Toranya offered it to the new guest.

"Why?" Block was suspicious but intrigued. A magician able to cast attacking spells was indeed what was missing in their group.

"You said you are short of money right? There is actually something you could try! You could venture in the labyrinth of Shandra, which is said to be the place where the Parchment of the Crimson Oracle is buried! Only a powerful black mage can unfast the seal of the parchment, and a reward is waiting for the ones who will succeed in defeating the beast hidden in the dungeon"

"And how do we know that he is really powerful?" Immediately, Pike's accusing finger pointed at the mage, who was drinking is cyder at total ease.

"Well, gentlemen, indeed the Labyrinth of Shandra is my final destination. And I’m looking for fellow companions...strong and brave." The last sentence was said with a hint of passion, while looking at Valayun. "An archer is exactly what is needed for the many distant traps of the labyrinth and then..." With an almost listless movement of his staff, he sent a black lightning that killed a spider vampire, bigger than Toranya’s hand, sheltered under a beam. The ashes of the creature fell next to them in a weird silence. "...you would benefit of some black magic, I suppose?"

Valayun cheeks inflamed and she slammed both hands on the table, flipping Meklavar’s notes and all the drinks, which were quickly saved by Pike and Rotol.

"And then it’s decided! Tomorrow we’ll leave for the Labyrinth" she exclaimed with ardent fire in the eyes.

 

"What a beautiful sunny morning, right Valayun?"

Pike sniffed the air in vain. A few steps back, the girl had been frozen struck by the vision of Rotol, who looked even more beautiful as he was kissed by the early morning sun.

Meklavar and Block had already walked past Pike, not missing the chance to mock him."Isn't it, Valayun?" mimicked the dwarf, laughing.

"If I catch you!" He started to go after her, but then he turned back to the archer and his heart stopped.

Rotol was offering his hand to Valayun to help her down the stairs,  and the image was so fairytale-like that even Pike sighed and walked away.

 

The group had walked for half a day and everything was going for the best, apparently. They chatted about this and that, trying to understand what kind of person the mysterious mage was, who, despite his tall and slender figure, stumbled on anything, even the most unlikely objects.

 "Here, this is the Plain of the Galaxy and it should be here that our labyrinth-ooooooohhhh!" Before even finishing the sentence stumbled on a stone and the mage found himself saved just in time by her dwarf companion.

"Basically, your most feared skill is to stumble?" she asked him sarcastically as she lifted him without effort and put him back on his feet. Rotol rearranged the sleeves of his long tunic and nonchalantly shook his head with the usual noise of little bells. "Although I am a very powerful mage, I am the victim of a horrible curse, that's why I cannot wait to arrive at the labyrinth and lift it away. But I am happy to have found a party with such strong and brave women as you, milady!"

The dwarf blushed at the sound of the magician’s deep voice, but she perceived a threatening presence behind her shoulders. Valayun was staring at her with flaming eyes, clenched fists and a pulsating vein on the forehead.

Pike grinned, but the fun lasted little.

"Hey guys...but those shades approaching...they’re not enemies..right?" Meklavar looked at him as if the thief had four noses and ten arms.

"Are you dumb? They’re coming to us at a threatening speed!"

"Watch out, they’re wendigos!!" Rotol was about to fall but he succeeded in grabbing on to the staff.

"Block, cast a shield of protection, they are weak to some magic but their hits are  deady!" Block was about to ask why Rotol knew so much about the wendigos but there was no time and indeed the four red-eyed creatures with drivel to the mouth smeared on his protective shield.

"I can’t hold them forever, attack or do something!" Valayun quickly jumped on the nearest tree starting to dart side attacks, but her position was open rather than the others. Meklavar and Pike started to elaborate a strategy to attack the creatures as soon as they would have broken the shield, agreeing on surrounding them.

Rotol, seized to his staff, was murmuring a litany in the background, creepy lines of black letters met from the ground toward his figure, completely wound by a black aura flowing frantic on his skin.

"Hey Rotol, there’s no time for a nap? These guys are about to attack!!”

"Boys I can’t hold up anymore, try to damage them as much as possible!"

Valayun had already weakened the creatures launching some darts but one of the wendigos started to sniff the air to perceive her position and with a quick leap detached himself from the flock, looking for the source of the darts.

The situation was desperate and they were about to suffer a fatal attack when a deep voice stormed in the battle, exactly when Block’s shield fell.

"ASHMOR LYCANTA FURIOSAE FEROR" The powerful voice of the black mage broke into the battle, a black wave wounded the fierce creatures, strangling and destroying them before Pike and Meklavar could even attack. With a last hit of the staff, he cast a black lightning bolt that disintegrated the wendigo just before it could reach Valayun.

The archer climbed down from the tree, while all of them were still shocked by the power of the mage.

"I would say that this, Meklavar, is my most powerful skill" Rotol declared with a smile, trying to stay still to avoid tumbles. Pike swallowed nodding, while Block and Meklavar looked at him as if they had won to the lottery.

Rotol was indeed for the Guild the best acquisition _ever_!

 

The party succeeded in crossing the Plain of the Galaxy quickly, not lowering their guard, and they decided to camp not far away from the labyrinth, ready to enter by the next morning.

They agreed to eat the meat of the wendigos killed by Rotol. "This is what they deserved. I prefer them on a spit rather than on me!” Block mumbled while he was setting the fire. "Don’t you eat? That spell must have required a lot of mana!" Rotol smiled to himself, watching the rest of his party now safe and sound and more keen to his presence. "The black mages don't use mana, you know that better than me Block. I’m not hungry, but thanks for the offer."

"At least I tried" the warlock smiled while he sank his face in another skewer.

Even Pike was becoming more agreeable to the presence of the black mage, indeed he had been oddly silent and he didn't even say a word when Valayun went with Rotol who had left for a walk not far from camp.

The starry night, the sweet scent of the wood and the beautiful sight of Valayun kissed by the moon were everything Rotol needed to recover his energies.

The two looked at each other in silence, and then they smiled before going back to the others.

 

The weather favored the group, the sun shining in a clear sky with not even a remote chance of rain. Pike, Meklavar and Block got up earlier to set up a last shenanigan.

The guys happily sneered when nonchalantly they made themselves to be caught eating some berries for breakfast, while Rotol was about to wake up from his pallet, which in Pike’s opinion was placed too close to the still sleeping Valayun.

"Good morning, boys" he started, his voice not even sounding drowsy or sleepy, while with one hand rearranging his hair with a cheer sound of little bells and with the other one starting to get up.

The three smiled politely at the mage and then they shared a casual glance, their eyes just crack with a mischievous sparkling. Rotol grabbed on to the staff, well aware to be always on the verge to fall down, but his trusted magic staff betrayed him letting him badly slip on a puddle of something oily that apparently surrounded his pallet. He ruinously fell on the ground, in a concert of little bells and cracking bones followed by an "Ouch" exclamation after an instant of silence.

Valayun found him in that awkward position, sprawled legs to the air but always the mischievous smile on his face.

"Have I awakened you? I am deeply sorry." deadpanned him.

The archer laughed at him gently, before giving the mage a hand to get up. An explosion of morning light surrounded them making the scene extremely idyllic.

Pike felt the elbows of both his companions in his ribs.

"My dear kitten, it looks like your joke retorted against you" Meklavar whispered malignantly.

"Look, don't they really look like the heroes of some fairytale?”  Block overstated.

Pike exploded, howling toward the two still into their own world.

"OY! DO WE HURRY TO ENTER INTO THIS DAMN LABYRINTH OR WHAT?"

"The Labyrinth of Shandra unties for a very vast area. But fear not, I have attended this mission prepared." Rotol threw out of his pocket a pendulum that he charmed with a short litany before it enlightened. "This is a Crystal of Shandra, made of the same material as the walls of the labyrinth, a solid piece of adamantite. This should lead us to the core of the labyrinth, straight to the Parchment."

"But this is a super rare item! Only high-ranking mages have this kind of artifact!" Meklavar was stunned and shared a glance with Block, shocked as well.

"We know however that the labyrinth is full of traps" Pike’s annoyed observation brought the attention again on the arduous mission that they were about to face.

Valayun rearranged the arc on her shoulders. "I’ll take care of the long-distance traps, while Block can make localization spells for each area." Rotol nodded in agreement with Valayun, while Meklavar weighed her ax with determination in her eyes. "I’ll face close range enemies if needed".

Valayun nodded and faced the others. “I think everything is set then. Let’s go.”

  


The run inside the labyrinth went almost too smoothly thanks to Rotol’s pendulum that pointed out all the right turns, but the group didn't lose time chatting. The party individualized and deactivated five traps before arriving mostly unharmed, except Rotol that kept falling almost anywhere, right to the center.

"I will finally be free from this curse!" whispered Rotol, when Valayun reached for his hand. "Let’s go to take this parchment!"

"Yes! Let’s earn the reward!" raised.

Meklavar pushed the door with her dwarf strength and they found themselves in a huge, creepy hall full of dangerous crystal spikes.

"Mamma mia this place is sooo happy" Block expressed his concerns with sarcasm.

"Yeah, I don’t think we’re gonna get out easily..." sentenced Pike while they were advancing.

Valayun in the corner of her eye saw something and immediately aimed her arc.

"Who’s there? Show yourself!"

Not a single word came out in response but a blast of jet fire that almost burned the archer, but thanks to Rotol the flames were immediately turned to ice.

"What was that??” Block howled while starting to cast a protection shield.

"It’s a dragon!" Meklavar Blue wield the ax ready for the attack, while the monstrous beast showed itself and its terrifying wingspan.

"Is this really necessary?" howled Pike from behind a column.

"Valayun, I need you!" Rotol was standing, afraid to fall or make a fatal step, but still found himself directly in the dragon’s range of fire.

The archer drew near without even blinking. "Valayun, stay behind me and loads a hit. Don't let me fall ok?" The girl nodded quickly. "Pike, Meklavar, attack its sides with whatever you can to distract it. Block, protect us as much as you can! Let's repeat the strategy we used with the wendigos!"

"Yes!" nobody objected the plan since Rotol seemed to have a certain amount of experience.

He started to cast a charm in an unknown language, while the girl watched carefully so that nothing could distract him, the arc loaded in her arms.

Pike howled desperately. "Do you need so much time? No, because _here_ we are _really_ struggling!"

A hit of Meklavar’s ax gone empty confirmed his words.

"RASJANA KASANDOR FURIAE DEVEDROOOOOO" The spell cried bled through the weapons clangor and the furious breath of the dragon. The beast, caught from the deathly ray of black magic, started to shake violently in pain.

"Valayun, summon your best evocation!" the mage found it hard to speak for all the effort in keeping the dragon at bay.

Without further delay, the girl fired one of her arrows launching with it a herd of marvelous warlike unicorns that attacked the ill-omened creature. The arrow struck right into the heart of the dragon, still trapped by Rotol. With a last, desperate rattle the legendary creature slowly faded away, leaving behind a heap of light blue dust.

Valayun reached Rotol holding him up. "We made it!" she exclaimed, still under the effect of the adrenaline rush, and the mage looked at her with pride. He nodded and with a rapid gesture of the hand Rotol attracted the parchment to himself, the magical object shining of its own light on its altar. The artifact grazed the incredulous faces of Meklavar, Block and Pike, exhausted but happy to have beaten that legendary creature.

That victory would have made them become the most wanted Guild in the world.

Valayun, without saying a word, shortly slipped away from Rotol that already exhausted ruinously fell to the ground.

"Forgive me, I just needed to watch you fall for the very last time!"

Everyone burst in a roaring laughter.

 

The Monsters&Mana round ended.

"Sorry guys, Shiro went with Keith to the Space Mall for an “urgent errand” he said, and therefore I’ve had to improvise with such a trivial final boss! What a scoundrel, bailing on us at the very last minute! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!" Coran extinguished the game console with a flash and went outside rambling about “youngsters”.

"Phew...anyway it was..intense!” Lotor commented the game with a rare happy-go-lucky expression that made Allura quiver.

"Yeah anyway, you’ve got very bad luck man, rolling a one on your dexterity skill! But this game really is something to remember like, forever! I want to play with you again!" Hunk and the prince exchanged a mutual sign of agreement. "I’m glad, I’ve had a good time as well."

"Yah but you cheated Lotor, you let Allura win!" Lance was not buying it.

"I don’t see how, I just used my humble powers" he retorted him with a mischievous smile.

"You let her shoot the final attack!"

"Well she didn’t hide behind the column as you did" concluded Lotor pointing out with elegance Allura, sat close to him, that burst to laugh with Pidge. The youngest girl looked at him curiously. "I’m still wondering how you acquired such a powerful artifact as the Pendulum of Shandra. It really is for super skilled players!" exclaimed the green paladin while she was putting back her collection of custom electronic dice. Then she patted her flat belly. "Ahhhh! I’m starving! Hunk what are you going to cook?" the topic fell there, and Lotor smiled to himself.

The yellow paladin was already at the door, waiting for her.

"I would say that we all deserved a club sandwich...of goo." The green paladin dragged Lance who was still resentfully mumbling "You’re not gonna frame me for a next game" the boy sentenced before being dragged by Hunk and Pidge both.

Smiling, Lotor looked at the kids exiting the room.

"Are you perhaps getting attached to them?" Allura sweet voice was a balm for his ears.

Keeping his smile the prince, now emperor, nor denying neither confirming, let his arms extend across the length of the sofa they were sitting on, one of his long clawed fingers that almost grazed a lock Allura’s silky hair.

"They are amusing, that’s undeniable. Especially Lance."

"Well, you as well have been incredibly...amusing. I’d never have believed that you are capable to do something like playing Monsters&Mana. I like this hidden side of you." The prince drew near her, his strong-jawed face now few millimeters away from her ear, and the princess shivered at the intimate proximity that felt so...natural.

"I must confess something, Allura" He whispered with his mephistophelian voice, foreboding something terrible. The princess shivered again, ready for a revelation that would perhaps upset her because, of course, she could not enjoy a moment of true relaxation?

"Truth is, that I am one of the most experienced players of Monsters & Mana. I have indeed helped the inventor to elaborate some expansions in the last millennia. To be honest, however, in the last 300 years I have only mastered campaigns with Axca and the others. Therefore, returning on the playing field after this whole time has been a breath of fresh air"

The emperor of the Galaxy was a nerd.

And the appalled expression of Allura was priceless.

 

 


End file.
